Linda Holmes is the New York Times bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo, a pop culture correspondent for NPR, and one of the hosts of the popular podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which has held sold-out live shows in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. She appears regularly on NPR radio shows including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Before NPR, she wrote for New York magazine online and for TV Guide, as well as for the groundbreaking website Television Without Pity. In her free time, she watches far too many romantic comedies, bakes bread, plays with her wonderful dog, and tries to keep various plants thriving.

"Dating hijinks, hilarious banter, heartfelt moments . . . this book by Linda Holmes, bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over, has it all."--Woman's World

"You won't be able to read fast enough."--People

"Back After This is a delightful read, full of wit and human connection and the intrigue and mundanities of a career in media in the nation's capital, plus the addition of a very large, very endearing dog named Buddy."--Roxane Gay, The Audacity

"I can't imagine a more delightful meditation on the value of listening to your own voice in a loud, loud world. Back After This is romantic, smart, and exactly the book we all need right now. I adored this."--Annabel Monaghan, bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script

"Back After This is a sweetheart of a novel--fun and warm, full of Linda Holmes's signature charm. You'll sink into this story and never want it to end. The dialogue is sweet and snappy, and the characters so real you could touch them. There's so much to love in this book: dreamy men who do backflips, found family, the perfect revenge, and an adorable dog. What more could a reader want?"--Elissa Sussman, bestselling author of Funny You Should Ask

"Hugely uplifting and hilariously funny, Back After This is the kind of smart, grounded romance that's made Linda Holmes one of the most beloved voices in fiction. She's just so good."--Katie Cotugno, New York Times bestselling author of Birds of California

"Back After This is a propulsive, heart-warming journey through the difficult--and often petty--world of podcasting. I gobbled this book up in a single night, enchanted by Holmes's all-too-real characters and their dogged pursuit of love. This book is a much-needed distraction--a fun, exciting, and sexy reprieve from the real world. I cannot wait to recommend it to all my friends."--Kelsey McKinney, host of Normal Gossip and author of You Didn't Hear This From Me

"To know Linda Holmes--whether through her work at NPR as a correspondent and host of the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast or as the author of warm-hearted, chatty novels Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo--is to love Linda Holmes. Her third novel, Back After This, is a delightful combination of her two fields."--BookPage

"Holmes clearly knows a thing or two about the world of podcasting, as she's one of the hosts of the popular NPR show Pop Culture Happy Hour, and she fills the book with details that give listeners a peek behind the curtain. . . . An altogether charming and delightful romance full of laugh-out-loud lines."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Holmes once again crafts an engaging, appealing tale of a woman coming into her own and learning to leave her people-pleasing ways behind. But it is not just Cecily who readers will connect with; all of the cast members are fully realized, with their own motivations and insecurities. Blending witty humor, a tender romance, and true character growth, this is a winner."--Booklist, starred review

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Pub date: 2026-02-24

Length: 336 pages